DRC violence forces 100 000 from homes

2012-01-20 16:13

Geneva - An upsurge in violence involving government troops and militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has forced 100 000 people from their homes since November, the UN refugee agency said on Friday.

The cause of the spike has not yet been established, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said, but it follows fraud-tainted elections that month.

Attacks between rival militia groups in North Kivu's Walikale and Masisi territories are thought to have left 22 dead and an unidentified number of women were raped, with 35 000 fleeing their homes to escape the violence, according to the agency.